By Kang Shin-who
Police are on alert for a possible violent protest by Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) veterans during the G20 Seoul Summit next month.
The National Police Agency (NPA) said Monday that it had secured information that former UDT members are planning to stage violent rallies in protest of the government’s failure to meet their demand for a higher pension.
Hundreds of the veterans plan to block major roads with their cars and set cars and oil tankers on fire around Coex in Samsung-dong, the venue for the summit.
“We’ve heard that some UDT veteran association members are plotting to stage very violent protests in Seoul. We will not tolerate this and will respond strongly to them,” said NPA chief Cho Hyun-oh.
The National Defense Ministry has been reluctant to accept demands from the UDT members, reasoning that offering bigger pensions only to naval veterans is against the principle of equity, especially considering marine and other special forces veterans.
The police have already announced that from Nov. 8 to 12, all rallies and demonstrations within a 2-kilometer radius of the COEX will be banned. Thirty-eight checkpoints will be set up in areas within a 600-meter radius from the site to block demonstrators from approaching the venue.
Some 50,000 police officers including 20,000 riot police as well as tens of thousands of troops will be deployed at key public facilities and mountain areas overlooking the summit venue, while naval forces and the Coastguard will monitor shipping.
A special law also came into effect this month allowing police greater power to break up street rallies, and a larger military presence in public places.